The utility of ketoprofen for alleviating pain following dehorning in young dairy calves

To determine if ketoprofen, in addition to local anaesthesia, reduces pain following dehorning, we experimentally dehorned dairy calves, less than 2 weeks of age, with (20 calves) or without (20 calves) intramuscular injections of ketoprofen. All calves received a local anesthetic (lidocaine) prior to dehorning and were dehorned with heat cauterization. Cortisol concentration was measured via jugular blood samples taken immediately before dehorning and at 3 and 6 hours following dehorning. Calf behavior was recorded between 0 and 2, 3 and 5, and 6 and 8 hours following dehorning. There was no significant (P > 0.10) effect on creep feed consumption, cortisol concentration, or any of the behavioral measures during the time periods studied. However, the difference in cortisol concentrations from the time of dehorning until 3 hours later was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the ketoprofen-treated group. These results suggest that ketoprofen, in addition to local anesthesia, may alleviate short-term pain following dehorning with a butane dehorning device in dairy calves less than 2 weeks of age.     

The effect of different combinations of lignocaine,ketoprofen, xylazine and tolazoline on the acute cortisol response to dehorning in calves

AIMS: The aims of this study were (a) to evaluate the effect of xylazine and tolazoline, with and without lignocaine, on the cortisol response of calves following amputation dehorning and (b) to assess the effect of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ketoprofen) and local anaesthesia on the cortisol response of calves to amputation dehorning.

METHODS: Plasma cortisol concentrations were measured in 100 dehorned or non-dehorned 3-month-old calves over an 8-h period following five different sedative/analgesic or control treatments. Sedative/analgesic treatments were: control (no anaesthesia); local anaesthesia and ketoprofen; local anaesthesia and xylazine; local anaesthesia, xylazine and tolazoline; and xylazine only. Within each sedative/analgesic treatment group, half the calves (n=10 per group) were amputation dehorned and half were not dehorned.

RESULTS: The change in plasma cortisol concentrations in calves dehorned after being given ketoprofen and local anaesthesia did not differ significantly from that of non-dehorned control calves for at least 8 h. In contrast, the cortisol response of dehorned calves not given analgesic drugs peaked 30 min after dehorning and lasted >4 h. Xylazine injected before dehorning significantly reduced but did not eliminate the peak of the cortisol response. When both xylazine and local anaesthesia were administered before dehorning the peak in the cortisol response was virtually eliminated. In the dehorned calves that received xylazine with or without local anaesthesia, cortisol concentration increased significantly 3 h after dehorning and did not return to baseline until at least 5 h later. When tolazoline was administered shortly after xylazine, it caused a marked cortisol response, higher than the response to any other treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: Combining ketoprofen and local anaesthesia minimised the cortisol response, and by inference the pain- induced distress, following amputation dehorning in calves. Xylazine reduced the initial cortisol response to dehorning but not as much as when local anaesthesia was also given. The increase in cortisol concentration from 3–8 h after dehorning in calves given xylazine alone or in combination with local anaesthesia suggests that calves experienced pain-induced distress during this time and that xylazine had no long-term analgesic effect. Tolazoline, used to reverse the sedative effects of xylazine, caused a marked cortisol response in calves via a mechanism which remains unclear.     

The effect of different combinations of lignocaine, ketoprofen, xylazine and tolazoline on the acute cortisol response to dehorning in calves

AIMS: The aims of this study were (a) to evaluate the effect of xylazine and tolazoline, with and without lignocaine, on the cortisol response of calves following amputation dehorning and (b) to assess the effect of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ketoprofen) and local anaesthesia on the cortisol response of calves to amputation dehorning. METHODS: Plasma cortisol concentrations were measured in 100 dehorned or non-dehorned 3-month-old calves over an 8-h period following five different sedative/analgesic or control treatments. Sedative/analgesic treatments were: control (no anaesthesia); local anaesthesia and ketoprofen; local anaesthesia and xylazine; local anaesthesia, xylazine and tolazoline; and xylazine only. Within each sedative/analgesic treatment group, half the calves (n=10 per group) were amputation dehorned and half were not dehorned. RESULTS: The change in plasma cortisol concentrations in calves dehorned after being given ketoprofen and local anaesthesia did not differ significantly from that of non-dehorned control calves for at least 8 h. In contrast, the cortisol response of dehorned calves not given analgesic drugs peaked 30 min after dehorning and lasted >4 h. Xylazine injected before dehorning significantly reduced but did not eliminate the peak of the cortisol response. When both xylazine and local anaesthesia were administered before dehorning the peak in the cortisol response was virtually eliminated. In the dehorned calves that received xylazine with or without local anaesthesia, cortisol concentration increased significantly 3 h after dehorning and did not return to baseline until at least 5 h later. When tolazoline was administered shortly after xylazine, it caused a marked cortisol response, higher than the response to any other treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Combining ketoprofen and local anaesthesia minimised the cortisol response, and by inference the pain-induced distress, following amputation dehorning in calves. Xylazine reduced the initial cortisol response to dehorning but not as much as when local anaesthesia was also given. The increase in cortisol concentration from 3-8 h after dehorning in calves given xylazine alone or in combination with local anaesthesia suggests that calves experienced pain-induced distress during this time and that xylazine had no long-term analgesic effect. Tolazoline, used to reverse the sedative effects of xylazine, caused a marked cortisol response in calves via a mechanism which remains unclear.     

Behavioural responses of calves to amputation dehorning with and without local anaesthesia

OBJECTIVE: To assess the pain elicited by amputation dehorning and evaluate the effect of local anaesthesia by using changes in calf behaviour. METHODS: The behaviour of 6-month-old Friesian calves (n = 60), subjected to control handling, dehorned or dehorned after local anaesthesia treatment, was monitored in this study. The proportion of calves displaying particular behaviours was recorded using instantaneous scan sampling during the first 10 h and between 26 and 29 h after treatment. RESULTS: The three behaviours of tail flicking, head shaking and ear flicking displayed similar features with time according to treatment and appeared to occur in an inverse relation to rumination. Dehorned calves were highly restless for the first 6 h after treatment. A significantly greater proportion of them displayed tail flicking, head shaking and ear flicking than the control calves, which, by contrast, stood still and ruminated (P < 0.05). The behaviour of calves given local anaesthetic prior to dehorning was similar to that of the control calves for the first 2 h. Thereafter the proportion of calves displaying tail flicking, head shaking and ear flicking increased, rumination decreased, and the behaviour was similar to that of the dehorned calves. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that dehorning is a painful experience that lasts about 6 h and that local anaesthetic alleviates that pain during its period of action. It is recommended that local anaesthetic be administered when conducting amputation dehorning.     

Effects of a local anaesthetic and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatlory analgesic on the behavioural responses of calves to dehorning

Aims. To evaluate the use of local anaesthesia and systemic analgesia for alleviating the distress associated with dehorning by monitoring stimulated behaviours in calves.

Methods. Eight behaviours were monitored in 3-4 month-old calves dehorned with and without local anaesthesia and/or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, from 2 hours after treatment.

Results. Four of the behaviours, lying, grazing or ruminating, tail shaking and ear flicking, were significantly different during the first 4-6 hours of observation in control calves, which were not dehorned, compared to calves dehorned without anaesthesia or analgesia, which suggests that these behaviours are useful indices of the acute pain experienced by calves after dehorning. The behaviour of calves dehorned after both a local anaesthetic and a non-steroidal anti- inflammatory agent had been administered was similar to control calves. The behaviour of calves given only local anaesthesia or systemic analgesia prior to dehorning was similar to that of calves dehorned without any pain relief.

Conclusion. These results suggest that calves should be given both a local anaesthetic and a systemic analgesic before dehorning to alleviate the pain associated with this procedure.     

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of ketoprofen when compounded with iron dextran for use in nursing piglets

In Canada, piglets receive analgesia to control pain after surgical castration. There is interest in examining the potential to mix non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with iron dextran prior to injection to minimize piglet handling and labor. The objective of this study was to compare pharmacokinetics and the relative bioavailability of ketoprofen given alone (3.0 mg/kg IM) versus the same dose of ketoprofen mixed with iron dextran (52.8 mg/kg IM) (ketoprofen + iron dextran) before injection in piglets. Piglets 8 to 11 d old were allocated into 2 treatment groups (n = 8/group). Plasma drug concentrations were measured using mass spectrometry at 13 time points after injection. No significant differences were detected between the 2 groups when examining pharmacokinetic parameters (e.g., C_max, T_max, AUC) or relative bioavailability for either S- or R-ketoprofen enantiomers (P > 0.05). However, pain control efficacy and food safety studies of these formulations are required to further examine this practice.     

Dehorning and disbudding distress and its alleviation in calves

Dehorning and disbudding are routine painful procedures carried out on cattle to facilitate management. The pain caused by these procedures and its alleviation may be evaluated by monitoring behaviour and physiological responses, and by measuring their effects on weight gain. The cortisol response to cautery disbudding is significantly smaller than that to amputation dehorning which infers that the latter is more painful. Amputation dehorning stimulates a defined cortisol response with a rapid rise to a peak value within 30 min followed by a decline to a plateau which then declines to pre-treatment values after about 8 h. A cornual nerve blockade using lignocaine virtually eliminates the escape behaviour seen during disbudding and dehorning and reduces the plasma cortisol response to dehorning for about 2 h. Thereafter there is an increase in the plasma cortisol concentration, a delayed response, which lasts for about 6 h. A cornual nerve blockade, using lignocaine combined with cauterizing the wound caused by amputation dehorning, virtually eliminates the cortisol response as does combining a lignocaine blockade with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ketoprofen. When xylazine is combined with a cornual nerve blockade using lignocaine before dehorning, the cortisol response is virtually eliminated for about 3 h. When this regime is used before cautery disbudding and includes a NSAID given before and after disbudding the behaviour of calves so treated suggests that pain may be alleviated for 24 h. Cautery disbudding is preferable to amputation dehorning, but for optimal pain relief xylazine sedation, local anaesthesia and a NSAID should be used with both procedures.     

Effects of a local anaesthetic and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic on the behavioural responses of calves to dehorning

AIMS: To evaluate the use of local anaesthesia and systemic analgesia for alleviating the distress associated with dehorning by monitoring stimulated behaviours in calves. METHODS: Eight behaviours were monitored in 3-4 month-old calves dehorned with and without local anaesthesia and/or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, from 2 hours after treatment. RESULTS: Four of the behaviours, lying, grazing or ruminating, tail shaking and ear flicking, were significantly different during the first 4-6 hours of observation in control calves, which were not dehorned, compared to calves dehorned without anaesthesia or analgesia, which suggests that these behaviours are useful indices of the acute pain experienced by calves after dehorning. The behaviour of calves dehorned after both a local anaesthetic and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent had been administered was similar to control calves. The behaviour of calves given only local anaesthesia or systemic analgesia prior to dehorning was similar to that of calves dehorned without any pain relief. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that calves should be given both a local anaesthetic and a systemic analgesic before dehorning to alleviate the pain associated with this procedure.     

Assessment of pain associated with bovine respiratory disease and its mitigation with flunixin meglumine in cattle with induced bacterial pneumonia

Pleuritic chest pain from bacterial pneumonia is often reported in human medicine. However, studies investigating pain associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are lacking. The objectives of this study were to assess if bacterial pneumonia elicits a pain response in calves with experimentally induced BRD and to determine the analgesic effects of transdermally administered flunixin. A total of 26 calves, 6–7 mo of age, with no history of BRD were enrolled into one of three treatment groups: 1) experimentally induced BRD + transdermal flunixin at 3.3 mg/kg twice, 24 h apart (BRD + FTD); 2) experimentally induced BRD + placebo (BRD + PLBO); and 3) sham induction + placebo (CNTL + PLBO). Calves induced with BRD were inoculated with Mannheimia haemolytica via bronchoalveolar lavage. Outcomes were collected from −48 to 192 h post-treatment and included serum cortisol, infrared thermography, mechanical nociceptive threshold, substance P, kinematic gait analysis, visual analog scale (VAS), clinical illness score, computerized lung score, average activity and rumination level, prostaglandin E₂ metabolite, plasma serum amyloid A, and rectal temperature. Outcomes were evaluated using either a generalized logistic mixed model for categorical variables or a generalized linear mixed model for continuous variables. Right front force differed by treatment (P = 0.01). The BRD + PLBO had lower mean force applied to the right front limb (85.5 kg) compared with BRD + FTD (96.5 kg; P < 0.01). Average VAS differed by a treatment by time interaction (P = 0.01). The VAS scores differed for BRD + PLBO at −48 (3.49 mm) compared with 168 and 192 h (13.49 and 13.64 mm, respectively) (P < 0.01). Activity for BRD + PLBO was higher at −48 h (27 min/h) compared with 48, 72, 120, and 168 h (≤ 22.24 min/h; P < 0.01). Activity differed by a treatment by time interaction (P = 0.01). Activity for BRD + FTD was higher at −48 and 0 h (28.2 and 28.2 min/h, respectively) compared to 48, 72, 96, and 168 h (≤23.7 min/h; P < 0.01). Results show a combination of reduced activity levels, decreased force on the right front limb, and increased VAS pain scores all support that bacterial pneumonia in cattle is painful. Differences in right front force indicate that flunixin transdermal may attenuate certain pain biomarkers in cattle with BRD. These findings suggest that BRD is painful and analgesic drugs may improve the humane aspects of care for cattle with BRD.     

Effect of supplemental vitamin E on the peripheral blood leukocyte population in Japanese Black calves

We investigated the effect of supplemental vitamin E on the peripheral blood leukocyte population in Japanese Black calves. Twenty-six calves kept at the same farm were studied. They were divided into two groups; thirteen calves received 300 IU/day of vitamin E orally from 1 to 3 months of age (VE group), and the other thirteen calves did not receive the vitamin E supplement (control group). The VE group showed a higher serum vitamin E concentration at 2 and 3 months of age compared with the control group (P<0.01). The numbers of CD3⁺ cells and CD4⁺ cells were higher in the VE group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant at 3 months of age (P<0.05). The numbers of CD21⁺ cells were higher in the VE group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant at 2 months of age (P<0.05). The numbers of CD335⁺ cells tended to be higher in the VE group than in the control group. The numbers of CD8⁺ cells and CD14⁺ cells tended to be higher in the VE group than in the control group at 3 and 4 months of age. This study demonstrated that the supplementation of suckling Japanese Black calves with vitamin E might affect the numbers of some immune cell types in the peripheral blood.     

Administration of anesthetic and analgesic prevent the suppression of many leukocyte responses following surgical castration and physical dehorning

The objectives of the current research were to determine the physiological effects and responses of many leukocytes following surgical castration and/(or) physical dehorning and the influence of anesthetics and analgesics in 3-month-old calves. Eighty 3-month-old Holstein bull calves were completely randomized to treatments in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with castration, dehorning, and anesthetic/analgesic as the main effects. Peripheral blood samples were collected just before (0) and 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 4, 6, 24, and 72 h after the respective procedure(s) and analyzed for total leukocyte and differential counts, as well as plasma cortisol and haptoglobin concentrations. Blood from the 0, 0.5 and 24 h collections were analyzed for many ex vivo leukocyte responses. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance with the fixed effects of treatment, time, and the interaction of treatment × time. Pre-planned contrasts were performed to determine the effect of (1) management procedure (castration and/(or) dehorning), (2) anesthetic/analgesic, and (3) were the management procedures additive. There were treatment × time interactions (P < 0.05) on plasma cortisol and haptoglobin concentrations as well as for total leukocyte and neutrophil concentrations in blood. Castration and dehorning increased cortisol concentrations and the effect of the procedures was additive (P < 0.02). Dehorning alone elicited a greater (P < 0.05) cortisol response than castration alone. In contrast, the leukocytosis and neutrophilia was greater (P < 0.01) among castrated calves. In addition, haptoglobin concentrations at 24 h after castration were elevated (P < 0.01) in calves that were castrated. Both castration and dehorning suppressed (P = 0.04) many leukocyte responses including the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α when whole blood cultures were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, surface expression of l-selectin on peripheral blood neutrophils, and the oxidative burst intensity of peripheral blood neutrophils when co-cultured with an Escherichia coli. The effects of castration and dehorning on blood leukocyte counts or any of the leukocyte responses were not additive (P > 0.23). Castration and dehorning effects of plasma haptoglobin concentrations tended (P = 0.10) to be additive at 72 h after the procedure(s). Prior administration of local anesthetic and a systemic analgesic attenuated (P < 0.001) the cortisol response and prevented (P = 0.03) the observed leukocytosis, neutrophilia, and leukocyte suppression. These data suggest that calves should be castrated and dehorned on the same day rather than spreading them out across two days and calves should be administered pain relief prior to performing either procedure.     

Administering an appeasing substance to beef calves at weaning to optimize productive and health responses during a 42-d preconditioning program

This experiment evaluated the impacts of administering a bovine appeasing substance (BAS) to beef calves at weaning on their performance, physiological responses, and behavior during a 42-d preconditioning program. Eighty calves (40 heifers and 40 steers; 90% British × 10% Nellore) were weaned at 233 ± 2 d of age (day 0); ranked by sex, weaning age, and body weight (BW); and assigned to receive BAS (IRSEA Group, Quartier Salignan, France; n = 40) or placebo (diethylene glycol monoethyl ether; CON; n = 40). Treatments (5 mL) were topically applied to the nuchal skin area of each animal following dam separation. Within treatment, calves were allocated to one of eight drylot pens (four pens per treatment; pen being the experimental unit) and received a free-choice total mixed ration (TMR) from day 0 to 42, intake of which was assessed daily. Live behavior observations were conducted on days 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32. Temperament was assessed and blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture on days −21, 0, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 42. Hair samples were collected from the tail switch on days 0, 14, 28, and 42. Calves were vaccinated against bovine respiratory disease viruses on days −21 and 0. Average daily gain from day 0 to 42 did not differ between treatments (P = 0.57) but was greater (P = 0.05) in BAS vs. CON calves from day 0 to 28. Intake of TMR was greater (P = 0.05) during the first week for BAS vs. CON calves (treatment × week; P = 0.08). The mean proportion of calves feeding simultaneously and performance of social and play behaviors were greater (P ≤ 0.05) for BAS vs. CON calves. Escape attempts were greater (P < 0.01) for BAS vs. CON calves on day 1 (treatment × day; P = 0.03). Exit velocity was greater (P = 0.04) for CON vs. BAS calves on day 14 and tended (P = 0.10) to be greater for CON vs. BAS calves on day 7 (treatment × day; P = 0.03). Mean plasma concentrations of haptoglobin were greater (P = 0.02) in CON vs. BAS calves. Hair cortisol concentrations were greater (P = 0.05) in CON vs. BAS calves on day 14 (treatment × day; P = 0.03). Mean serum concentrations of antibodies against bovine viral diarrhea virus were greater (P = 0.02) in BAS vs. CON calves. Collectively, BAS administration to beef calves at weaning alleviated stress-induced physiological reactions, improved temperament evaluated via chute exit velocity, enhanced humoral immunity acquired from vaccination, and appeared to have accelerated adaptation to novel management scheme and environment.     

Effects of isoflurane on somatosensory-evoked potentials in calves: A pilot study

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) are used to monitor sensory function and are often recorded under general anesthesia. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of isoflurane on SSEPs in calves as it has not been reported. Eight calves (mean age: 40 days), were included in the study. Calves were anesthetized with a randomized sequence of four different isoflurane partial pressures. Blood gas analysis was performed before each measurement. SSEP were induced by repeated stimulation of the common dorsal digital nerve III. SSEPs were recorded from the lumbo-sacral junction (s-SSEP) and the head (c-SSEP). Latency and inter-amplitude of each peak were measured. For s-SSEP: One negative (N_sp1) and two positive (P_sp1 and P_sp2) peaks were identified in all tracings except for two calves. There was a significant effect of isoflurane on the latency of P_sp2 (P = 0.01). Inter-amplitude decreased significantly with PaO₂, PaCO₂ and temperature (P < 0.05). P_sp2 latency decreased with PaO₂ (P = 0.01). For c-SSEP: two positive (P_c1 and P_c2) and two negative (N_c1 and N_c2) peaks were identified. There were identifiable peaks for the analysis of P_c1 latencies only. There was a significant positive linear relation between end-tidal isoflurane partial pressure (ET_iso) and P_c1 latency (P = 0.04). None of the co-variables had a significant effect on the latency of P_c1 (P > 0.1). Isoflurane has a major impact on the recording of c-SSEP. Recording should be done at the lowest ET_iso as possible, and anesthesia parameters should be kept constant.     

Behavioural, endocrine and cardiac responses in young calves undergoing dehorning without and with use of sedation and analgesia.

Behaviour, plasma cortisol and heart rate were measured in 4-6-week-old calves during and after dehorning with and without the use of sedation and analgesia. Six groups of eight Friesian male and female calves were studied; four groups were dehorned using an electrical cauterizing dehorner, heated to approximately 600 degrees C. In group 1, a cornual nerve block was performed and the animals were sham-dehorned using a cold dehorner. Group 2 was treated similarly but dehorned with the heated dehorner. Group 3 received a mixture of xylazine and butorphanol intramuscularly, and were hot dehorned 20 min after the injection. Group 4 received the same sedatives-analgesics as group 3, and after 5 min also had a cornual nerve block, followed by hot dehorning 15 min later. Group 5 was hot dehorned without any form of sedation or analgesia. A sixth group of calves without any treatment or handling was used as controls for the behavioural observations.Head and leg movements during dehorning were significantly reduced when the cornual nerve was blocked. During the 4 h after dehorning, the behaviour of calves having a cornual block continued to differ from those in group 5. The cornual block prevented short-term increases in plasma cortisol concentrations and the long-term increases in heart rate seen in group 5. It was concluded that routine field use of local analgesia using a cornual nerve block improved the welfare of young calves subjected to dehorning with a hot iron.     

Behavioral and performance response associated with administration of intravenous flunixin meglumine or oral meloxicam immediately prior to surgical castration in bull calves

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of flunixin meglumine or meloxicam on behavioral response and performance characteristics associated with surgical castration in crossbred bulls. Intact male Bos taurus calves (n = 252; averaging 176 kg) were randomly allocated into one of three treatment groups within pen: control (CON), flunixin meglumine (FLU; 2.2 mg/kg intravenous injection), or meloxicam (MEL; 2.0 mg/kg per os). The individual animal was the experimental unit. Calves were individually weighed on days 0 and 14 of the trial to evaluate performance outcomes. On study day 0, treatments were administered, according to their random allocation, immediately prior to surgical castration using the Henderson tool method. Visual analog scale (VAS) assessment and categorical attitude score (CAS) were collected on days −1, 0 (6 h post-castration), 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the study. The VAS was assigned using a 100 mm horizontal line with “normal” labeled at one end of the line and “moribund” at the other end of the horizontal line. The masked observer assigned a mark on the horizontal line based upon the observed severity of pain exhibited by that individual animal. The CAS was assigned by the same observer using five different categories with a score of 0 being “normal”. Average daily gain tended (P = 0.09) to be associated with the treatment group, and MEL had a greater (P = 0.04) average daily gain through day 14 compared with CON. A significant (P < 0.01) treatment by day interaction was indicated for VAS score, and MEL had lower VAS scores on days 0, 1, 2, and 3 post-castration compared with CON; FLU had lower VAS scores on days 0 and 1 compared with CON. A significant treatment by day interaction was not present (P = 0.25) for CAS. The FLU had lesser percent CAS ≥1 (17.5%; P = 0.05) compared with CON (29.4%); MEL has lesser percent CAS ≥1 observations (14.9%; P = 0.01) compared with CON. The median VAS increased as CAS was more severe. Results indicated MEL and FLU calves temporally improved behavioral responses following surgical castration with positive numerical trends for a 14 d average daily gain (ADG). The VAS system appeared to be an effective method of subjective evaluation of pain in beef calves in this study. Route of administration, duration of therapy, and low relative cost make oral meloxicam a reasonable analgesic treatment in calves when administered at the time of surgical castration.     

Cortisol responses to dehorning of calves given a 5-h local anaesthetic regimen plus phenylbutazone,ketoprofen, or adrenocorticotropic hormone prior to dehorning

The purpose of this work was to assess whether the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) phenylbutazone and ketoprofen, and an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) induced cortisol surge, reduce the cortisol response which occurs when the local anaesthetic wears off in calves following dehorning. There were four control groups and one dehorned group; also four groups were given local anaesthetic lasting 5h and were dehorned without or with phenylbutazone, ketoprofen or an ACTH injection, one group was injected with ACTH twice (at 0 and 6h) and another received ACTH and 6h later was dehorned. Blood samples were taken before and after dehorning and plasma cortisol concentrations were determined by radio-immunoassay. Dehorning increased the mean plasma cortisol concentrations [max 137 (11)nmoll(-1)] above control values [38 (5)nmoll(-1)] for about 7h, whereas local anaesthesia maintained concentrations at control values until about 5h after dehorning, and then they became elevated until about 10h. The maximum rise in mean concentration which occurred when the local anaesthetic wore off [128 (32)nmoll(-1)] was not affected when phenylbutazone was given before dehorning [141 (28)nmoll(-1)], but was reduced significantly when ketoprofen [65 (17)nmoll(-1)] or ACTH [61 (19)nmoll(-1)] were injected before or at the time of dehorning, respectively. Marked cortisol responses to ACTH injected at 0 and 6h were similar, but the early part of the cortisol response to dehorning 6h after an ACTH injection was reduced. It is suggested that the delayed cortisol response, which began 5h after dehorning, arose both from ketoprofen-sensitive and cortisol-sensitive sensory input as well as from other factors. Phenylbutazone did not affect the sensory input from the amputation wounds in the present calves.     

Effect of trehalose supplementation in milk replacer on the incidence of diarrhea and fecal microbiota in preweaned calves

Trehalose, a nonreducing disaccharide consisting of d-glucose with α,α-1,1 linkage, was evaluated as a functional material to improve the gut environment in preweaned calves. In experiment 1, 173 calves were divided into two groups; the trehalose group was fed trehalose at 30 g/animal/d with milk replacer during the suckling period, and the control group was fed nonsupplemented milk replacer. Medication frequency was lower in the trehalose group (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, calves (n = 20) were divided into two groups (control group [n = 10] and trehalose group [n = 10]) based on their body weight and reared under the same feeding regimens as in experiment 1. Fresh feces were collected from individual animals at the beginning of the trial (average age 11 d), 3 wk after trehalose feeding (experimental day 22), and 1 d before weaning, and the fecal score was recorded daily. Fecal samples were analyzed for fermentation parameters and microbiota. The fecal score was significantly lower in the trehalose group than in the control group in the early stage (at an age of 14 to 18 d; P < 0.05) of the suckling period. Calves fed trehalose tended to have a higher proportion of fecal butyrate on day 22 than calves in the control group (P = 0.08). Population sizes of Clostridium spp. were significantly lower (P = 0.036), whereas those of Dialister spp. and Eubacterium spp. tended to be higher in the feces of calves in the trehalose group on day 22 (P = 0.060 and P = 0.083). These observations indicate that trehalose feeding modulated the gut environment and partially contributed to the reduction in medication frequency observed in experiment 1.     

Additive effects of L-carnitine and chromium picolinate on sow reproductive performance

Caustic paste is frequently used for disbudding young female dairy calves. Nerve blocking may not be completely effective after such chemical tissue damage. Regional anaesthesia, together with a non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), was shown to reduce plasma cortisol in calves disbudded using caustic paste. To find out whether pre-emptive NSAID alone could control pain or whether NSAID reduces cortisol response by a mechanism other than by pain control, we compared cortisol levels and behaviour of 10 chemically disbudded calves treated with IV flunixin-meglumine, five of which were injected at 5 min (F0) and five injected at 60 min before dehorning (F1), with 5 sham-dehorned (ND) and 5 non-treated chemically disbudded animals (CD). There was a higher (p < 0.001) cortisol level in both NSAID-treated groups compared with ND at 1 h after disbudding, but no differences from control animals (CD). Non-treated disbudded animals showed higher cortisol at + 3 h compared with ND. A higher incidence of pain-related behaviours was shown in disbudded animals up to 3 h post-disbudding.We conclude that pre-emptive analgesia treatment by itself is not effective in controlling pain and does not prevent blood cortisol increase after disbudding of calves with caustic paste.     

Optimizing the growth and immune system of dairy calves by subdividing the pre-weaning period and providing different milk volumes for each stage

In systematically considering the advantages and disadvantages of complementarity in high or low milk feeding, novel milk feeding schemes involving altering the volume of supplied milk in different stages of the pre-weaning period but maintaining the total milk feeding volume were tested. Twenty-seven newborn male Holstein calves were selected and randomly assigned to 3 treatments. Calves in the control (CON) group were fed 7 L of milk daily from 4 to 66 d of age. Calves in the low-high (LH) group were fed 6 L of milk daily at the beginning, and then the daily feeding volume was later increased to 7 to 8 L of milk, which served as the early-period low-volume feeding group. The calves in the high-low (HL) group were fed 7 to 8 L daily at the beginning, and then the daily feeding volume was decreased to 6 L of milk, which served as the early-period high-volume feeding group. Then all calves were fed 3 L of milk daily from 67 to 70 d of age, weaned at 70 d of age, and then fed starter feed to 100 d of age. All calves had access to the starter feed from 15 to 100 d of age. The diarrheal condition of calves was recorded daily and the growth performance including the starter feed intake and body weight of calves was recorded at 70 and 100 d of age. Then, five 100-d-old calves from each treatment were sampled for measurement of plasma indices, ruminal morphology, and volatile fatty acids. When compared with the CON and LH groups, calves in the HL group exhibited a significantly increased body weight and lower diarrhoeal rate. When compared with the CON group, calves in the HL group exhibited a significantly increased average daily feed intake, ruminal epithelium papillae length, total volatile fatty acids, and percentages of propionate and butyrate. Moreover, the significantly increased plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) content and a trend of decreased tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) content (P = 0.083) were also identified in the HL group when compared with the CON group. Overall, the early-period high-volume feeding for calves produced greater body weight gain and a lower incidence of diarrhea.     

Social isolation of goats: significance of visual contact with conspecifics on behavioral and physiological responses

Social isolation can increase distress in goats, particularly when they cannot maintain visual contact with conspecifics. This experiment was conducted to determine the behavioral and physiological responses in goats during isolation with or without visual contact with conspecifics. Male Spanish goats (uncastrated, 8 mo old, average weight 29.4 ± 0.59 kg) were randomly assigned to a control (CO) group with no isolation or to one of four isolation treatment (TRT) pens (1.5 × 1.5 m) with: 1) open grill panels but with no visual contact with conspecifics (IO), 2) covered grill to prevent visual contact (IC), 3) open grill with visual contact (IV), or 4) covered grill with a 30 × 30 cm window to allow visual contact (IW), for 90 min of social isolation (n = 12 goats per TRT). Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, and 90 min (Time) from isolated and control goats. The experiment was repeated 1 wk later using the same animals, with each goat being subjected to the same isolation TRT the second time to study the effect of prior exposure to isolation. Friedman’s two-way analysis of variance by Ranks test in SAS showed that the median frequency of vocalization (rank score) in goats was high in the IO group, low in the IV and IW groups, and intermediate in the IC group (P < 0.01). The vocalization rank score was also higher (P < 0.01) during the first 30 min of isolation in goats. The median frequency of visual contact was higher in the IW group than in the IV group (P < 0.01). The frequency of climbing behavior was high in the IC and IO groups, low in the IV group, and intermediate in the IW group (P < 0.01). Repeated measures analysis using general linear models procedures in SAS revealed that plasma cortisol and glucose concentrations tended (P < 0.1) to be the highest in the IO group than in CO, IC, IV, and IW groups. Cortisol levels were also higher (Time; P < 0.05) at 0 and 90 min compared with 30 and 60 min. Norepinephrine concentrations decreased (P < 0.05) with Time, and plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels were affected by TRT × Time interaction (P < 0.01). Overall, epinephrine, norepinephrine, glucose, and NEFA concentrations were lower (P < 0.01) and cortisol concentrations and lymphocyte counts were higher (P < 0.01) when goats were exposed to isolation the second time. The results showed that goats with no visual contact with conspecifics during social isolation had greater physiological stress responses and spent more time vocalizing or trying to escape the pen, which may indicate distress.